My cat, Lucky, runs behind me every morning and night as I walk to the kitchen cabinet for his food and treats. He meows nonstop and gazes up at me with his pleading doe eyes, convinced that I’m taking way too long to feed him. I make my way…
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Mikael Simons, MD, a neurologist at Technical University Munich, has been awarded this year’s $125,000 Barancik Prize for his extensive research on myelin, a protective coating that sheathes nerve cells and becomes damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS). Run by the National MS Society and funded by the Charles…
If it weren’t for multiple sclerosis (MS) and my practice as a lifestyle medicine physician, I’m not sure I’d be chasing after better health so vigorously. There simply wouldn’t be enough momentum to push me into action. But as there are silver linings to everything, MS has positioned me…
With three preteen boys and one soon-to-be 50-year-old child in the house, we watch a lot of animated television. On the occasion when we watch another genre, it’s usually a nature show or historical documentary. We recently watched the latter, a documentary on the golden age of piracy in…
Recently, a historic winter storm brought record amounts of snow to the northern parts of the Sunshine State. Some areas of Florida’s panhandle surpassed 8 inches of snow! It has snowed before in Florida, but this level of snowfall and ground cover is a first. Despite my immense excitement about…
I am a pharmacist and I teach at a pharmacy school. Being a healthcare professional, I understand the importance of taking my medication every day, which is called medication adherence. But do I really take my medication 100% of the time? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The World Health…
After today, I have only one more session of therapy for my current bout with depression. I don’t mean to imply that I’m getting chased out the door, or that more therapy won’t be recommended in the future, just that I’ve come to the end of my current program. I…
A new website aims to provide support to caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The site, MS Care Partner Connection, brings together information on how caregivers can care for themselves while tending to those living with the disease, how to navigate the healthcare system, and how to…
I’ve written several times before about how unpleasant it was to catch giardia while serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army, but I wasn’t the only person to get sick from drinking contaminated water. On one mission, we’d gotten up far too early to make coffee and had some…
The beginning of the new year is an opportunity for a fresh start, change, and personal growth. Even before I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, I struggled deeply to allow myself moments of rest and peace, and that continues today. I’m aware of those struggles, but until now…
Happy New Year! Did anyone make resolutions? I’ve always tried to make one resolution every January, though I missed a few years when I was in a rut. At the time I’d thought, what’s the point? I knew I wouldn’t stick with it. That’s because my resolutions used to feel…
I think cold weather affects me every bit as much as hot does. The difference is that instead of turning into a weak puddle, I stiffen into a rock. It doesn’t get that cold where I live, but when we do have a few chilly days in a row, I…
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is disorienting. I don’t quite know what day it is or what I’m supposed to do while packing away a holiday and bracing for the next year. It was quiet after Christmas last month, almost as if time stood still and the…
We’ve begun a brand-new year, and normally that would mean resolutions, but as I’ve said before, I’m not exactly a resolution kind of guy. I don’t have anything against them and I do intend to better myself, but I don’t want the disappointment of failing to meet a stated goal.
For someone like me, who is retired and has three preteen children, the days surrounding Christmas and New Year’s feel like a liminal space. With no school or job to be at and no real schedule to keep, the days seem to run together without anything to orient them.
Being born and raised in south-central Texas, I’m no stranger to the heat here that dominates most of the year. But even after 25 years of living in Texas, I don’t think I’m used to it. While some people embrace and enjoy warmer weather, my body rejects it altogether, especially…
I’m losing control. I don’t mean that I’m out of control or spiraling in that direction, but I definitely feel like I have a lot less of it these days. That’s a real problem for me because my therapist said that one of the primary issues contributing to my depression…
I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis at 17 years old, during my senior year of high school. At that time, the diagnosis was the least of my worries because my top priorities were senior year activities and college preparation. The truth, however, was that I didn’t comprehend what…
Between celebrating my birthday and Christmas, December has always been a month for gifts. If my wish list when growing up featured a relatively expensive item, my birthday and Christmas presents would give way to one special present celebrating both. One year my great-aunt took me shopping to pick out…
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2014. Over the past 10 years, my MS has been managed by five healthcare providers. That’s not how I envisioned my MS care. I’ve had the same primary care provider for almost 20 years, and I naively thought I’d be…
My wife and I both have medical backgrounds. She is a registered nurse and has actual credentials that have to be renewed periodically. At one time I had a card that said advanced tactical practitioner, but even when it was current, it didn’t count for much outside of…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to help others in any way I could. As early as middle school, I tried to identify a plausible and realistic career where I could fulfill this desire, and eventually landed on therapy as a possible career path. I wanted to…
When I attended the selection process for Army Special Forces, I had a number of obstacles to overcome, among them a psychological evaluation, a handful of physical tests, long-range land navigation, and assessments of problem-solving and time-management skills. I also faced literal obstacles, in the form of a 2-mile course…
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) who come from poorer families or other disadvantageous circumstances tend to have more inflammation and irreversible brain tissue loss, a new study reports. “Our findings suggest that social disadvantage in childhood can have lasting effects on MS severity,” Kimberly A. O’Neill, MD, study coauthor…
While most people dread the longer nights of autumn and winter, I embrace every single minute of darkness added as we crawl toward the longest night of the year. As darkness takes over, that’s my cue to gather up all the energy I expended during spring and summer to…
As this is published, I’m surrounded by family. Some are cooking with passion and purpose. Some are critiquing and giving advice that always seems to start with the phrase “Now what I like to do is,” going on to suggest a better way of stuffing, or how many minutes per…
In the middle of my freshman year of high school, I experienced a bad case of optic neuritis, which I now know was my first episode of multiple sclerosis (MS). According to my neuro-ophthalmologist, I was legally blind in my left eye. My vision was mostly recovered thanks to…
Ever since I learned how, I have enjoyed reading. My tastes have changed a little over the years, as has the way I read. I like the feel and smell of a real book, but I mostly use electronic devices these days because I can more easily see them, hold…
Too often, I’d find myself amid joyful moments with loved ones, struggling to keep irritability at bay. At those times, my mind would stagger between living in the happiness of the moment or an overwhelming sense of overstimulation, annoyance, and frustration. Most of the time, the irritability took over. When…
In recent months, while seeking to balance work, home life, family, and well-being, I’ve sought strategies to help me tackle perfectionism. On the health front, I’ve faced major struggles with my relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, secondary adrenal insufficiency, and avascular necrosis. However, to this day, my perfectionism is the most…